1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an improved rescue brace. In particular the invention relates to a rescue brace for vehicles which facilitates easier, faster removal of steering columns and dashboard away from pinned victims.
2. Description of the Art
In 1986, more than 44,000 people were killed on America's highways. This number is approximately ten times the number of people who were killed in fires that year. In addition there are thousands of injuries per year on the highways. There is a need for fast and efficient release of victims trapped in vehicles so the emergency personnel can transport the victim to an emergency medical hospital.
Devices for removing a steering column and dashboard from a victim are old in the art. The Seminole County Fire Department has produced a piece of four inch rail bent at a 90.degree. angle with a short vertical side and a longer horizontal side. For this device, stop blocks were welded at regular intervals on the horizontal surface of a fitting. This device is dropped over the exposed rocker panel or bottom rail of the door frame of a vehicle. The shorter vertical side is fitted up against the "B" post of the vehicle. Thus there are two brace surfaces of the vehicle against the surfaces of the device which must be maintained. Chains, cribbing and jaws of life are also used to extricate the injured from entrapment in vehicles. The problem with these other tools currently in use is that they are time consuming for set up, and some of them must be readjusted several times, causing the steering column or dashboard to fall back onto the injured party.
It is an object of the invention to provide a rescue brace which is more rapidly applied using less equipment than previous methods.